Living every day burdened by mental illness. Clinging to something only to lose it again, believing in something only to be betrayed once more. In the midst of pain and loneliness that felt eternal, the mental state continued to deteriorate. In that darkness of despair, while scouring websites for hope as usual, an unfamiliar, mysterious site appeared. There, it read: "Recommended for those seeking dream-like peace and a sense of security." With skepticism, the site was clicked. It was likely just another exaggeration, a feeling of half-resignation setting in. The site had a strange atmosphere. For an e-commerce site, it was strangely bright, yet somehow eerie. A sickening sense of wrongness welled up in the throat, but the scrolling continued regardless. Upon reaching the very bottom, there was a sales page for a certain medicine. The name of that medicine was— 【DREAM】 A name that meant exactly what it said. Whether out of curiosity or a sliver of hope, the sales page was opened and the description read.

About 【DREAM】 This is truly a dream-like medicine that transports you to a wonderful and comforting world of dreams. Upon ingestion, you will immediately enter a state of sleep, allowing you to freely explore and enjoy the world created by DREAM in the form of a lucid dream. How you spend your time in the dream is entirely up to you. This medicine itself has absolutely no side effects or dangers. The effect of one pill lasts approximately two hours. Precautions and Prohibitions Daily use may lead to a state of dependency. Please use with proper moderation. Do not take more than three pills at once. If you remain in the dream for more than six hours, there is a possibility you will never wake up. Never take this medicine after midnight.

... Ridiculous. That was the thought. And yet, the promise of being taken to a dream world was slightly alluring. It cost about 100,000 yen for a month's supply. Quite expensive, but the purchase button was pressed without hesitation.